Balloon and parachute



1. a. GAMM ETER. I

BALLOON AND PARACHUTE. APPLICATION F ILED JULY 11. 1918.

Patented Nov. 23, 1920.

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A rrokzvay J. H. GAMMETER.

BALLOON AND PARACHUTE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 11, 191B- Patented Nov. 23, 1920.

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John B. Ga BY Wm ATTORNEY UNITED STATES.

PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN R. GAMMETER, F AKRON, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE B. F. GOODRICH COMPANY,

OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

BALLOON AND PARACHUTE.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented N 23, 1920.

Application filed July 11, 1918. Serial No. 244,498.

'vice, and its principal objects are, first, to

save time in the launching of the parachute and its load and, secondly, to enable the aeronaut to save the instruments, records and other movable equipment ordinarily carried in the car or basket.

I accomplish these objects by employing a parachute, and a car or basket suitably attached thereto, as by a normally slack connection, said car being suspended from the body of the air-craft by a detachable connection normally bearing the weight of the car and its load and controllable at will from the car, so that the entire car with its contents may be launched by merely operating said detachable connection.

Further objects are to provide improved means for storing the parachute in folded condition when not in use. and to furnish an improved catch mechanism or snap-off" adapted securely to hold the basket suspended from the rigging at a plurality of points and capable of being instantly detached simultaneously at said points when a descent is made.

Of the accompanying drawings,

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the lower part of a balloon with the parachute holder suspended therefrom and the parachute launched and opened out.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation on a larger scale, partly broken away, showing the holder, the parachute and the basket.

Fig. 3 is a detail elevation of the catchmechanism and adjacent parts.

Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4-4 of Fi 3.

l ig. 5' is a reverse plan view of the container, partly broken away.

Fig. 6 is a section on the line 66 of Fi 5.

n the drawings, 10 is a balloon from which the parachute holder 11, 12 is suspended by means of the rigging ropes 13,

14. The holder consists of the usual wooden concentrating ring 11, forming a part of the rigging and connected with the ropes 13, which latter are shown spread out in Fig. 1, but gathered to an apex in Fig. 2, and a frusto-conical inverted can or container 12 for storing the umbrella 15 and cords 16 of the parachute in a folded condition, together with the wooden ring 17 to which the lower ends of said cords are attached, this container being suspended by the ropes 14. The container is closed at the top by a per manent end-closure 18, to which the upper end of the parachute is tied by a breakable cord 41, and I provide it with a bottom cover 19, consisting of a cloth body in whose rim is bound an elastic rubber ring 20 overlying a rigid ring 21 in the lower edge of the container 12, the elastic ring being adapted to stretch and pass downwardly over the rigid ring when the parachute is released. A pair of crossed bands 19 having their ends wrapped around the edge of and attached to the .cover 19 are provided for rolling the latter down over the fixed ring 21 when tension is placed upon said bands.

22 is the aeronauts basket suspended by ropes 28 from the extremities of a cross-bar 2 1 which is connected with the parachute ring 17 by four ropes 25 passing through eyelets 26 in the cover and the bands 19". The ropes 25 are slack when the parachute is in its container. The connections of the ropes 23 and 25 to the bar 24: may in practice advantageously be located closer together than shown, to provide a more direct pull from the basket to the parachute ring 17.

At diametrically opposite points on the under side of the ring 11 two short cylindrical bars 27 preferably made hollow for lightness as shown in Fig. 4:, are secured by lashings 28. These bars are the keepers for a pair of catch or snap-off levers 29 fulcrumed at 30 on the bar 24. Each catchlever includes a lower cross-bar or stud 31, an upper cross-bar 32, and a pair of side plates 33 straddling the bar 24, there bein a U-shaped metal wear-plate 34 inter ose between said bar and the catch-lever. ach lever has a hooked short arm 35 at its upper end partially overlying the bar 27. 36 is a horizontal tie-rod pivoted by one end on the stud 31 at the lower end of the left-hand cord 40 suspends said hooked end a ter the cord 38 is broken.

' In the operation of my invention, the umbrella 15, cords 1 6 and ring 17 of the parachute are normally stowed in folded condition within the container 12 as shown in Figs. 2,5, and 6, and the u per end of the parachute is tied to the end closure 18 by the breakable lashing 41. The elastic ring 20 of'the cover 19, overlying the rigid ring 21 on the container, maintains said cover inplace, and the parachute is thoroughly protected from the weather. The container being directly over the basket, the letter. when re eased, exerts a direct downward pull upon the parachute. The catch-levers 29 being en aged with the keeper bars 27 on the ho der ring 11, as indicated in Figs. 2, 3,

and 4, the basket will be securely suspended from said ring. To drop the basket and release the parachute the aeronaut pulls downwardly on the re easing cord 39 so as to break the cord 38 and disengage the hook 37 from the right-hand catch-lever. This allows the hooked upper ends 35 of said catch-levers simultaneously to become disengaged from the keeper bars 27, and the basket drops away from the ring 11 by gravity. The cross-bar 24, drawing on the arachute ring 17 through the ropes 25, pul s the cover 19 away from the container 12, and draws the parachute out of said container, its upper end remaining connected with the end closure 18 until it breaks the lashing 41. The released parachute descends and o ens in the usual manner. In consequence o the basket bein detachable from the balloon and adapted to be suspended by the parachute, the launchin is instantly effected with the minimum 0. effort and danger, and

" y the occupants and all instruments and records or other equipment which the basket may contain can be safely landed.

claim: 1. The combination, with the body of an air-craft, of a parachute, a car adapted nor-' mally to contain the aeronaut and his equipment and connected with said parachute, means normally sus ending the weight of the car and its lead rom the aircraft body, said means including a detachable connection, the operation of which causes the car to be launched, and means connecting the top of th para hu e wi h the air-craft rior to andduring the initial movement of the car away from the air-craft.

2. The combination of a balloon comprising a gas envelo and a car-suspending ring supported there y, a car or basket, means normally suspending the weightof said car and its contents from said ring and including a detachable connection controllable from the car, and a parachute detachably connected with the gas envelop and attached to the car by a normally slack connection extending through the o enin 3. The combination 0 a balloon comprising a gas envelop and a support suspended therefrom, a basket, snap-off devices connecting said basket with the support at a plurality of oints on the latter, a parachute detacha ly connected with the balloon for supportin the basket when released, and means or actuating said snapofi' devices simultaneously at the several supporting points.

4. The combination of a balloon comprising a gas envelop and a ring sus ended therefrom, a basket, a pair of snap-o hooks suspending the basket from opposite points on the ring and connected for simultaneous release, and a parachute detachably supported on the balloon above said ring and connected with the basket through the opening in the ring.

5. The com ination ofa balloon comprising a gas envelop and a. basket-support suspended therefrom, said su port having a pair of hook-engaging mem mm, a hook support, a pair of hooks pivoted on said support an detachably engaging said members, a rod pivoted to one of said hooks and having hooked connection with the other for holding the hooks in engagement with said members, a basket suspended from said hooksupport, and a parachute connected with said basket.

6. The combination of a balloon comprising a gas envelop and a ring suspended therefrom, a. parachute-container mounted above said ringin line with the opening thereof, a basket detachably suspended from said ring, and a parachute stowed in said container and connected with the basket tion of an inverted container having a rigid o in said ring.

lower rim, a bottom cover comprising an elastic ring overlying said rigid rim, a web whosemargin ensheathes said ring, ring-rolling bands crossing the bottom face of said web and having their ends wrapped around the margin of the latter, and a parachute folded insaid container and having a suspender extending through said cover.

8. The combination, with the body of an air-craft, of a normally collapsed parachute supported thereby, a car adapted to contain the aeronaut and his equipment, a normally slack connection between the car and parachute, and means normally suspending the weight'of the car and its load from the aircraft body, said means including a detachable connection, the operation of which causes the car to be launched, the downward movement of the freed car taking up JOHN R. GAMMETER. 

